U.S. patent application number 14/430641 was filed with the patent office on 2016-05-12 for radio frequency identification capsule (rfid).
The applicant listed for this patent is SATYATEK SA. Invention is credited to Marc Bovet, Nicolas Gehrig, Andreas Zielasch.
Application Number | 20160128798 14/430641 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 49780106 |
Filed Date | 2016-05-12 |
United States Patent
Application |
20160128798 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Bovet; Marc ; et
al. |
May 12, 2016 |
RADIO FREQUENCY IDENTIFICATION CAPSULE (RFID)
Abstract
The invention relates to a radio frequency identification
capsule for marking an object. The capsule is characterised in that
it comprises: a metal base to be attached to the object; a
receiving element for holding a radio tag, the receiving element
being secured to the base and overmoulded on the base in order to
form a durably tight joint with the base; and means for holding the
radio tag at a determined distance from the base. The invention
allows an automatic inventory of a plurality of marked objects
randomly arranged in a highly metal medium and in the presence of
Faraday cages.
Inventors: |
Bovet; Marc; (Develier,
CH) ; Zielasch; Andreas; (Furstenfeldbruck, DE)
; Gehrig; Nicolas; (Chardonne, CH) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
SATYATEK SA |
Vevey |
|
CH |
|
|
Family ID: |
49780106 |
Appl. No.: |
14/430641 |
Filed: |
September 24, 2013 |
PCT Filed: |
September 24, 2013 |
PCT NO: |
PCT/IB2013/058815 |
371 Date: |
March 24, 2015 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
206/459.5 ;
235/492 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G06K 19/07749 20130101;
G06K 19/07771 20130101; A61B 90/98 20160201; G06K 19/07754
20130101; A61B 90/90 20160201 |
International
Class: |
A61B 90/98 20060101
A61B090/98; G06K 19/077 20060101 G06K019/077 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Sep 24, 2012 |
IB |
PCT/IB2012/055069 |
Claims
1. A radio-identification capsule for the marking of an object the
capsule comprising: a metallic plinth intended to be fixed to the
object; a housing able to hold a radio-tag, the housing being
secured to the plinth and overmolded on the plinth so as to form an
enduringly leaktight seal with the plinth; means for holding the
radio-tag at a fixed distance from the plinth the capsule being
characterized in that the housing is made of polyetheretherketone
(PEEK) reinforced with carbon or glass fiber.
2. (canceled)
3. The radio-identification capsule as claimed in claim 1, wherein
the plinth has a height of at least 0.5 mm.
4. The radio-identification capsule as claimed in claim 1, wherein
the housing includes an opening for inserting a radio-tag, and/or
in that the plinth includes an opening for inserting a radio-tag
into the housing.
5. (canceled)
6. The radio-identification capsule as claimed in claim 1, wherein
the plinth is made of stainless steel.
7. The radio-identification capsule as claimed in claim 1, wherein
the housing comprises a single radio-tag and the capsule is
configured to operate at about 125 kHz when the capsule is
assembled on the object thus forming a normalized environment
allowing the detection of the object in a metal sterilization
basket.
8. The radio-identification capsule as claimed in claim 1, wherein
the housing comprises a bottom, a lateral wall linked to the bottom
delimiting an opening for receiving a radio-tag in the housing, an
edge at the end of the wall including a recess; and in that the
plinth includes a setback able to cooperate with the recess so as
to secure the housing to the plinth.
9. The radio-identification capsules as claimed in claim 1, wherein
the plinth comprises a base closing the housing and comprising an
exterior surface intended to be fixed to the object.
10. The radio-identification capsule as claimed in claim 8, wherein
the plinth comprises a base closing the housing as well as a stud
comprising an exterior surface intended to be fixed to the
object.
11. The radio-identification capsule as claimed in claim 1, wherein
an exterior surface of the plinth intended to be fixed to the
object is flat, curved, endowed with an angle substantially in the
middle of the surface of the plinth, endowed with a polyhedron or
has a substantially circular shape of a radius predetermined so as
to properly hug the shape of the object to be marked.
12. The radio-identification capsule as claimed in claim 1, wherein
the housing is able to be produced in different colors.
13. The radio-identification capsule as claimed in claim 1, wherein
the means for holding the radio-tag at a fixed distance from the
plint comprise clips present in the housing, a gluing of the
radio-tag in the housing, a filling of the housing by a filling
material or a clipping of a counter-part in the housing.
14. The radio-identification capsule as claimed in claim 1, wherein
the radio-tag is maintained at a distance of about 0.2 mm from the
plinth.
15. An assembly comprising an object and the capsule as claimed in
claim 1, wherein the plinth of the capsule being welded to the
object by way of a laser or glued on the object.
16. The assembly as claimed in claim 15, in which the object is a
medical, surgical or dental instrument, or a tool, a
railway-related, automotive, nautical or aeronautical part or spare
part.
17. A method of assembling a radio in a radio-identification
capsule as claimed in claim 1, so as to provide a
radio-identification capsule operating between 121 kHz and 129 kHz
when the capsule is assembled on an object and to form a normalized
environment allowing the detection of the object in a metal
sterilization basket comprising a plurality of objects the method
comprising the steps of: inserting a radio-tag into the housing of
the capsule; varying the position of the radio-tag with respect to
the plinth and defining its operating frequency so as to determine
a position and frequency at which the operating frequency of the
capsule is between 121 kHz and 129 kHz; and fixing the radio-tag at
this determined position by using the means for holding the
radio-tag at a fixed distance from the plinth.
Description
[0001] The present invention relates generally to a
radio-identification (RFID) capsule for the marking of an object
and more particularly the RFID marking of reusable medical devices
and their bulk, automatic and multiple identification in a strongly
metallic environment. The invention applies also to other objects,
for example, dental instruments, implants, substitutes of implants,
prostheses, tools, industrial, computer-related, railway-related,
automotive, nautical and aeronautical components and spare parts
and any other similar objects that it is desired to mark in order
to ensure its identification and its traceability.
[0002] The traceability of the process of retreatment of reusable
medical devices makes it possible to guarantee that an instrument
has been correctly retreated, that is to say: disinfected, washed,
cleaned, dried, checked, packaged, and sterilized before a new use
on a patient. The aim of this process is to avoid the transmission
of infectious agents to patients.
[0003] Instrument-level traceability makes it possible to inform
the sterilization agent(s) about the way to treat the instruments
(disassembly, immersion, washing, reassembly, verification of
functionality, etc.).
[0004] Instrument-level traceability also makes it possible to
improve the financial and logistical management of instruments
(valuation of stock, management of repairs and of the replacement
of instruments, materio-vigilance, usage log of the instruments,
"dormant" stocks etc.). It also allows inventory checking of a
sterilization basket and thus makes it possible to reduce the risks
of incidents in the operating room. Indeed, a missing or
inappropriate instrument may jeopardize the proper conduct of a
surgical operation and represents a risk to the patient's life. An
incomplete or incorrect box must be returned for sterilization,
thus involving additional work and therefore cost.
[0005] Since 2010, the OMS check list "patient safety in the
operating room" has required that instruments be counted before and
after an operation. The present invention allows the bulk,
automatic and simultaneous identification of marked instruments and
facilitates the putting of this directive into effect while
avoiding human errors and its impact on costs as compared with
manual counting by qualified personnel.
[0006] Instrument-level traceability makes it possible to control
the risk of Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (CJD) by identifying the
instruments used in patients at risk and thus to block batches of
infected instruments.
[0007] The individual RFID marking of instruments makes it possible
to check at the end of an operation that an instrument has not been
forgotten in the body of the patient or thrown into the waste bin
together with the operating room dressings.
[0008] The invention also makes it possible to prevent the take-up
of instruments that are not to be sterilized (single-use
instruments or ones that have reached the maximum number of
sterilizations).
[0009] For reasons of cost (operating time) and safety (reduction,
for sterilization agent(s), in the handling of soiled instruments)
it is paramount that the instruments can be detected, identified
and counted automatically and in bulk in a metal sterilization
basket.
[0010] Prior Art
[0011] Hitherto, several technologies have been used as a partial
solution to the above-mentioned problem.
[0012] Color Marking
[0013] This approach does not make it possible to assign a unique
identifier to objects. The system rapidly reaches its limits since
it would be necessary to mark each object with a different color,
something which is totally impossible. Nonetheless, this solution
has the advantage of not requiring any particular apparatus. In the
case where a sticker of the same color is applied to all the
instruments of a sterilization basket, the color marking has the
advantage of allowing fast and manual sorting of the instruments
and of helping to sort instruments after their use in the operating
room.
[0014] Two Solutions Exist:
[0015] the use of color rings fastened to the instrument, such as
described in patent application WO8705487. This solution exhibits
the drawback of creating enclaves of bacteria between the color
ring and the instrument, the ring-instrument link not being
leaktight;
[0016] or the creation of a cavity filled with a polymerizable
colored resin, such as described in patent application
WO2007090387. This solution has the disadvantage of modifying the
instrument and of creating potential breakage points.
[0017] Optical Identification, Datamatrix, Micro-Percussion,
Etching
[0018] Optical codes can be applied to instruments either by
etching by means of a laser, or by micro-percussion which consists
of a succession of impacts which deform the surface of the part to
be marked.
[0019] Marking by optical code makes it possible to assign a unique
number (GS1-type normalized coding) or an internal number chosen by
its owner and therefore to uniquely recognize two objects
resembling one another in every respect.
[0020] The identification of the instrument thus marked is done by
means of a suitable optical reader. The uniqueness of a code is not
guaranteed since it is possible to etch a code an infinite number
of times. Patent FR2899506 describes a datamatrix coding machine
while patent EP0681252A1 describes a scheme for marking a surgical
instrument.
[0021] Optical marking does not allow automatic, multiple and bulk
identification of marked instruments. A dirty, wet or degraded code
or any opaque element between the optical code and the reader
render reading impossible or difficult. Deep marking of the
instrument embrittles it, surface marking disappears easily and
must be re-etched often, thus giving rise to very significant
expense.
[0022] RFID
[0023] RFID Technology Makes it Possible:
[0024] i) to assign a unique code to each medical device and thus
to be able to differentiate in a definite and immediate manner two
visually identical objects;
[0025] ii) to identify an instrument even if it is packaged, dirty
or wet;
[0026] iii) to modify without contact with the object all or some
of the data contained in the memory of the RFID tag with the
exception of its unique code etched during manufacture. This unique
code, when it is present, is unfalsifiable. The memory of the tag
allows any sort of information, for example a GS1-type normalized
coding, to be stored therein.
[0027] Various RFID-based marking methods have been fine tuned, the
main technical solutions are to:
[0028] integrate the RFID tag into a cavity made in the instrument
such as described in patents W02010145651, WO2009063323,
WO2006067610, EP1774917.
[0029] The first drawback of this solution resides in the fact that
it is necessary to machine a cavity in the instrument, thereby
embrittling it and presenting a risk of breakage of the instrument
during a surgical procedure. Moreover, as surgical instruments are
mainly metal, integrating the RFID tag into the material greatly
reduces the reading distance. Multiple and bulk identification is
therefore no longer possible even in a non-metallic
environment.
[0030] manufacture a capsule, a button, a fastening which is
thereafter fixed onto the instrument to be marked.
[0031] Document US20080177267 describes a fastening which is fixed
to the instrument. The sealing plane between the fastening and the
instrument is not leaktight and offers potential enclaves of
bacteria. Furthermore, it is not easy to clean such a part.
[0032] Document US20060214791 describes a button tag to be screwed
onto the instrument. This solution does not make it possible to
obtain an enduringly leaktight sealing plane between the instrument
and the button. It is necessary to make a cavity in the instrument
so as to be able screw the button thereinto.
[0033] Concerning the capsule described in document WO2011141912,
the surrounding of the RFID tag by a "C"-shaped metal annulus does
not allow bulk, simultaneous and automatic identification of a
hundred or so instruments in a surgery basket.
[0034] The technology used in document WO2011054355A2 does not
allow multiple, automatic and bulk identification in a metallic
surgical basket. The RFID capsule is glued by applying a mixture of
polymerizable acrylates or methacrylates.
[0035] In document WO2013020944, two tags are necessary to allow
automatic identification, this being economic nonsense and
demonstrating the lack of effectiveness of the RFID technology
chosen within the framework of use in a strongly metallic medium.
Consequently, multiple, automatic and bulk identification in a
metal basket is not possible.
[0036] Drawbacks of the Prior Art
[0037] To count or check the content of a sterilization basket, it
is necessary to identify the instruments one by one, this taking a
great deal of time. The prior art does not provide any solution
allowing multiple, automatic and bulk identification of marked
instruments in a strongly metallic environment, nor any hygienic,
versatile marking solution without modifying the instrument
(examples of metal sterilization baskets:
http://www.aesculap.extranet.bbraun.com/public/frame_do
c_index.html?medid=100051310; and [0038]
http://www.sterilmed.fr/avec-filliqrane/sterilmed-02-paniers-et-accessoir-
es-2012.pdf).
[0039] An aim of the present invention is to address the drawbacks
mentioned hereinabove.
[0040] More precisely, the aim of the present invention is:
[0041] firstly, to propose an RFID capsule for surgical instruments
which allows its detection in an automatic manner, in bulk and in a
strongly metallic environment in the presence of Faraday cages.
Indeed, up to 100 instruments or more may be stored in stainless
steel sterilization baskets, their random overlapping and the
presence, sometimes, of metal bowls, necessarily create Faraday
cages;
[0042] secondly, to provide a perfect RFID capsule from a medical
and hygienic point of view both in its design and in its
assembly;
[0043] thirdly, to provide an RFID capsule allowing a fast,
permanent, strong and leaktight assembly, without needing to make a
cavity in the instrument;
[0044] fourthly, to provide an RFID capsule that can be assembled
to a great variety of instruments; and
[0045] fifthly, to provide an RFID capsule that can be fixed to
brand new instruments by the manufacturer and also to an already
existing instrument pool, meaning that the instruments do not have
to be modified in their design to allow their RFID marking.
[0046] The present invention thus relates to a radio-identification
capsule for the marking of an object as claimed in claim 1, an
assembly as claimed in claim 15 and a method of assembling a
radio-tag in a radio-identification capsule as claimed in claim
17.
[0047] Other advantageous characteristics of the invention are
indicated in the dependent claims.
[0048] The present invention is composed of a metal plinth
overmolded with a composite, the whole integrating a radio-tag
(RFID tag) and forming an RFID radio-identification capsule. This
RFID capsule can be fixed in a permanent and hygienic manner to a
medical device to give it a unique, unfalsifiable and remotely
consultable electronic signature.
[0049] Other characteristics and advantages of the present
invention will be more clearly apparent on reading the detailed
description which follows of an embodiment of the invention given
by way of wholly non-limiting example and illustrated by the
appended drawings, in which:
[0050] FIG. 1 illustrates an elevational view of a
radio-identification capsule according to the present
invention;
[0051] FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the radio-identification
capsule according to the present invention;
[0052] FIG. 3a is a sectional view of the radio-identification
capsule along the axis A-A;
[0053] FIG. 3b is a sectional view similar to that of FIG. 3a in
which the profile of the bottom of the plinth is illustrated (see
the reference F of FIG. 1);
[0054] FIG. 4 is a sectional view of the radio-identification
capsule according to the present invention comprising a
radio-tag;
[0055] FIG. 5a illustrates a plinth of the radio-identification
capsule according to the present invention having a chamfer to hug
a 6-sided instrument;
[0056] FIG. 5b illustrates a plinth of the radio-identification
capsule according to the present invention having a chamfer to hug
a portion of an instrument with a diameter of 6 mm;
[0057] FIG. 6 illustrates a radio-identification capsule according
to the present invention assembled on a flat surface of an
instrument;
[0058] FIG. 7 illustrates a radio-identification capsule according
to the present invention assembled on a non-flat surface of an
instrument;
[0059] FIG. 8 shows an elevational view and a sectional view of a
radio-identification capsule according to a variant of the present
invention comprising a plinth able to hug a round instrument;
[0060] FIG. 9 shows an elevational view and a sectional view of a
radio-identification capsule according to a variant of the present
invention comprising a plinth able to hug a 6-sided instrument;
[0061] FIG. 10 shows an elevational view and a sectional view of a
radio-identification capsule according to a variant of the present
invention comprising a plinth able to hug an instrument on a flat
surface;
[0062] FIG. 11 is an elevational view of a radio-identification
capsule according to a variant of the present invention comprising
a plinth able to hug a round instrument; and
[0063] FIG. 12 is an elevational view of a radio-identification
capsule according to another variant of the present invention
comprising a plinth able to hug an 8-sided instrument.
[0064] FIGS. 1 and 2 illustrate a radio-identification capsule 1
(RFID capsule) according to the present invention comprising a
metallic plinth (or support) 3 intended to be fixed to an object 5
to be marked (FIGS. 6 and 7) and a housing 7 made preferably of
polyetheretherketone (PEEK) able to hold a radio-tag (RFID tag) 9.
The housing 7 is secured to the plinth and is overmolded on the
plinth 3 to form an enduringly leaktight seal with the plinth
3.
[0065] The plinth is, for example, made of stainless steel (316L
stainless steel). The housing 7 can be made of polyetheretherketone
(PEEK) reinforced with glass fiber or carbon fiber. The
polyetheretherketone (PEEK) embodiment can be made in different
colors.
[0066] The radio-identification capsule 1 furthermore comprises
means 11 for holding the radio-tag 9 at a fixed distance d from the
plinth 3 (FIG. 4), the distance d being the shortest distance
between the plinth 3 and the radio-tag 9.
[0067] The means 11 for holding the radio-tag 9 at a fixed distance
from the plinth can be clips (claws) present in the housing 7 and
fastened to an interior surface of the housing 7 able to receive
the radio-tag 9, a gluing of the radio-tag 9 to the interior
surface of the housing 7, a filling of the housing with a filling
material (for example, a resin or other filling material) or a
clipping (for example, by embedding, gluing or welding) of a
gripping counter-part (made of a metal composite and in the cavity
of the housing) whose shape reproduces in negative the profile of
the radio-tag 9.
[0068] The housing 7 comprises a bottom 17, a lateral wall 19
linked to the bottom 17 and delimiting an opening 21 for receiving
the radio-tag 9 in the housing 9. The housing 7 furthermore
includes an edge 23 at the end of the wall 19 including a recess
25. The plinth 3 comprises a setback 27 (FIG. 3) configured to
cooperate with the recess 25 making it possible to secure the
housing 7 to the plinth 3. The recess 25 allows optimal mechanical
binding to the plinth of the encapsulating material of the housing
7.
[0069] The plinth 3 has a height h with respect to its exterior
surface 15 of at least 0.5 mm (FIG. 3) so that the encapsulating
material of the housing 7 is not damaged during the laser welding
process. The plinth furthermore includes an opening 29 allowing the
insertion of the radio-tag 9 into the housing 7 after overmolding
and manufacture of the capsule.
[0070] The exterior surface 15 can take various shapes as a
function of the geometry of the object to be marked. The exterior
surface 15 of the plinth 3 intended to be fixed to an instrument 5
may be flat, curved, endowed with an angle substantially in the
middle of the surface of the plinth (FIG. 5A), endowed with a
polyhedron or has a substantially circular shape with a
predetermined radius (FIG. 5B) so as to properly hug the shape of
that portion of the instrument 5 to which the capsule will be
fastened.
[0071] In the embodiments illustrated in FIGS. 5A, 5B and 8 to 9
and with respect to the plinth 3 of the embodiment illustrated in
FIGS. 1 to 4, the plinth 3 furthermore comprises a base 31 closing
the housing 7, the base 31 comprising an exterior surface 35
intended to be fixed to an instrument 5. The base 31 is welded to
the surface 15 by way of a laser or glued to the surface 15.
[0072] This exterior surface 35 may be flat, curved, endowed with
an angle substantially in the middle of the exterior surface 35,
endowed with a polyhedron or has a substantially circular shape
with a predetermined radius (FIG. 8) so as to properly hug the
shape of that portion of the instrument 5 to which the capsule will
be fastened. FIG. 9 shows a capsule 1 comprising a plinth having an
exterior surface 35 able to hug a 6-sided instrument.
[0073] In the embodiments illustrated in FIGS. 10 to 12 and with
respect to the plinth 3 of the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 1 to
4, the plinth 3 furthermore comprises a base 37 closing the housing
7 as well as a stud 39 having an exterior surface 41 intended to be
fixed to an instrument 5. The base 37 is welded to the surface 15
by way of a laser or glued to the surface 15.
[0074] This exterior surface 41 may be flat (FIG. 10), curved,
endowed with an angle substantially in the middle of the exterior
surface 41, endowed with a polyhedron or has a substantially
circular shape with a predetermined radius (FIG. 11) so as to
properly hug the shape of that portion of the instrument 5 to which
the capsule will be fastened. FIG. 12 shows a capsule comprising a
plinth having an exterior surface 41 able to hug an 8-sided
instrument.
[0075] The housing 7 may be made of plastic, ceramic, silicone,
SUS304 silicone, rubber or FKM (about 80% fluoroelastomers). These
materials neither block nor reduce the electromagnetic waves and
protect the radio-tag 9. The preferred encapsulating material for
overmolding the housing 7 on the metal plinth 3 is a PEEK filled
with glass fibers or carbon fibers for the following reasons:
[0076] Mechanical resistance, especially [0077] i. Common knocks so
as to avoid the breaking of the RFID tag 9 [0078] ii. Resistance to
cuts [0079] iii. Resistance to friction [0080] iv. To ultrasound
baths
[0081] Chemical resistance, especially [0082] i. Caustic soda in
molar concentration 1 to 2 exposure [0083] ii. Ortho-phosphoric
acid (for example: Borer Deconex 34) [0084] iii. Detergents in
disinfectant-washes (for example: Borer Deconex 23)
[0085] Thermal resistance [0086] i. At least 1500 cycles in a Prion
autoclave (134.degree. C., 18 min, 3 bar of pressure in a distilled
water vapor saturated atmosphere), [0087] ii. Exposure to a
temperature of 200.degree.
[0088] Biomedical compatibility [0089] i. Cyto-compatible, and
optionally biocompatible, material [0090] ii. Smooth surface
without enclaves of bacteria [0091] iii. Leaktight sealing plane
between the overmolding material and the metal plinth 3 [0092] iv.
Durability of leaktightness guaranteed by virtue of the similar
thermal expansion coefficients of the metal plinth 3 and of the
encapsulating material of the housing 7. [0093] Possibility of
coloring the encapsulating substance in various colors
[0094] The encapsulating material does not terminate at the edge of
the metal plinth 3 in order to allow closure of the injection mould
during overmolding.
[0095] This property also makes it possible to avoid impairment of
the encapsulating material when laser welding the RFID capsule 1 to
an instrument 5.
[0096] The radio-tag (RFID tag) 9 is inserted into the capsule 1
after overmolding.
[0097] Within the framework of the use of a low-frequency LF or
ultra-high-frequency UHF radio-tag 9 (RFID tags), the fixed
distance between the radio-tag 9 and the metal plinth 3 as well as
the frequency of the radio-tag 9 make it possible to create a
normalized environment as regards the magnetic field. The position
of the radio-tag 9 with respect to the plinth 3 is varied and an
operating frequency of the radio-tag 9 is determined so as to
obtain a position and frequency at which the operating frequency of
the capsule 1 is between 121 kHz and 129 kHz (and preferably at 125
kHz). It is thus possible to specify and guarantee optimal RFID
performance (reading distance and reliability) as a function of the
substance of the object to which the RFID capsule 1 will be
fixed.
[0098] If an LF radio-tag 9 is used, it should be noted that the
distance d between the radio-tag 9 and the metal plinth 3 must be
fixed by the means 11 at a value of about 0.2 mm, for example. The
resonant frequency of the radio-tag 9 is adapted to suit the metal
used so that once in the presence of the metallic plinth 3, the
capsule 1 operates at a normalized value between 121 kHz and 129
kHz (and preferably about 125 kHz (or at 125 kHz)) before
assembling the capsule 1 to the object 5 and when the capsule is
assembled on the object 5 to be marked.
[0099] Indeed, if a radio-tag 9 is applied directly to a metallic
surface, the diverse detuning effects would render detection of the
radio-tag 9 either impossible or the detection distance would be
too slight to allow bulk and automatic identification in a metallic
sterilization basket. The "normalization" strategy hereinabove
makes it possible to automate the detection of objects marked by
the RFID capsule 1 and to preserve instantaneous and automatic
detection of objects placed in bulk in a sterilization basket which
is placed in an RFID tunnel such as described in the patent
application: P2012PC00--SYSTEME ET PROCEDE POUR LA LECTURE D'UN OU
DE PLUSIEURS TAGS RFID EN MODE ANTICOLLISION DANS UNE CASSETTE
METALLIQUE ET EN DEHORS [SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR READING ONE OR MORE
RFID TAGS IN ANTICOLLISION MODE IN A METALLIC CASSETTE AND
OUTSIDE].
[0100] Preferably, passive radio-tags 9 operating at low frequency
35-150 kHz are used.
[0101] Preferably, the radio-tag 9 takes the form of a cylindrical
object comprising:
[0102] An RFID transponder or chip
[0103] A ferrite (of cylindrical, E, U or curved shape)
[0104] A copper coil welded to the transponder and optionally a
glass tube protecting the elements hereinabove.
[0105] These radio-tags 9 are usually called "glasstags" or "metal
rod tags" and exist in various dimensions and forms. They may also
be equipped with various types of transponders especially at low
(LF) or high frequency (HF). They are marketed in particular by the
company HID Global under this label (see the link:
http://www.hidglobal.com/documents/hid-rfid-il-glass-tag-family-ds-en.pdf-
)
[0106] The present invention also makes it possible to adapt to
suit UHF radio-tags of small dimensions, such as those proposed by
the company Xerafy. They are marketed in particular under the label
Dot-On XS and Dash-On XS.
[0107] Radio-tags equipped with an air coil may also be used, these
radio-tags generally take the form of disks. They are marketed in
particular by the company HID Global under the trade name
MicroProx.TM.tag, (see the link:
http://www.hidglobal.com/main/id-cards/hid-proximity/1391-microprox-tag.h-
tml).
[0108] For other objects to be equipped of larger size than
instruments or tools, for example containers, trolley or palettes,
RFID radio-tags of other shapes and operating with other
frequencies (HF, UHF, MW) may be used. They are marketed in
particular by the company HID Global under the trade name InLine
UHF.TM. tag (see the link
http://www.hidglobal.com/documents/hid-inline-230-15-uhf-tag-ds.en.pdf).
[0109] The RFID radio-tags used (LF glasstags) withstand more than
1500 Prion sterilization cycles and they withstand ultrasound
baths.
[0110] The microchip used in the radio-tag 9 possesses an
anti-collision algorithm to identify one by one the objects of a
collection of objects during multiple readings.
[0111] The fact that all or some of the object to be marked is made
of metal does not prevent an object from being identified among the
collection of objects.
[0112] The presence of metal does not prevent the automatic
detection of objects among a collection of objects.
[0113] The objects marked by means of the capsule of the present
invention can be deposited in a stainless steel sterilization
basket, a surgical tray, in a closed metallic cassette, a "kidney
dish", a sterilization basket and it is always possible to detect
the objects among the collection of objects.
[0114] It will be understood that diverse modifications and/or
improvements obvious to the person skilled in the art may be made
to the various embodiments of the invention that are described in
the present description without departing from the scope of the
invention, as defined by the appended claims.
* * * * *
References